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7/22/2019 Print Edition: 9 April 2014
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BNP wantsto overcomefrustration firstnMohammad Al-Masum Molla
The BNP is planning to adopt a long-
term strategy to strengthen the party
and decide not to launch any strong
movement for a few more months.
The plans came following several
rounds of discussions and evaluation
meetings at joint secretary general and
organising secretary level.
The meetings summed up that the
party would first reorganise itself to
beat the frustration that had percolated
through the organisation after the Jan-
uary 5 polls, said a senior leader.BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will
hold a series of workers meeting and
public meetings in every division inthe months ahead along with some is-
sue-based programmes.
The party discussed all these plans
and policies while joint secretaries and
organising secretaries held a meeting
at party Chairperson Khaleda Zias Gul-
shan offi ce on Monday.
The BNP policy making body, the
standing committee, will decide upon
all these plans and decisions in to-
nights meeting.
We have discussed many things in
the meeting and all the issues will be
finalised in the standing committee
meeting, Mohammad Shahjahan, joint
secretary general of the party, told the
Dhaka Tribune.
A senior leader of the party seekinganonymity said they discussed upazila
election, movement strategy and how
to reorganise the party and on the basis
of their observation and decisions they
submitted a report to Khaleda Zia on
Monday night.
According to the report, some cen-tral teams will be formed to visit thanas
and upazilas to reorganise the grass-
roots.
The report also said the party would
withdraw all the expulsion orders is-
sued during the upazila parishad elec-
tions to strengthen the imminent an-
ti-government campaign but as for the
expelled leaders they have to apply for
withdrawal of their expulsion orders
with recommendation of the district
and thana committees.
Another senior leader said Khaleda
Zia would start holding meetings with
PAGE 2 COLUMN 6
Student bodies warn GonojagoronsImran, ask him to realise mistakesnDU Correspondent
Five students organisations have
slammed Gonojagoron Moncho
spokesperson Imran H Sarker for his
undemocratic and authoritative atti-tude in managing the famed Shahbagh
movement.
In a press conference at the Madhur
Canteen on the Dhaka University cam-
pus yesterday, the leaders of these or-
ganisations asked Imran to realise his
mistakes as soon as possible, warn-
ing him that otherwise they would
have to take steps against him.
They, however, did not specifywhether taking steps meant dislodg-
ing Imran from the post of the Moncho
spokesperson.
The warning comes only two days
after Imran had hinted that the plat-
form might float a political party if the
people of the country wanted it to.
Two days before that, ruling Awami
Leagues student body Chhatra League
in a press conference at the same venue
said it was no more with the Moncho.
In recent times, the Moncho activ-
ists have openl y got into scuffl es with
Chhatra League activists centring var-
ious issues.
The five student bodies who or-
ganised yesterdays press conference
were Bangladesh Chhatra Moitree, JSD
Chhatra League, Chhatra Andolon,
Chhatra Oikya Forum and the Chhatra
Samiti.
All these groups and the ruling
partys student wing had been close-
ly associated with the activities of
the Gonojagoron Moncho since it waslaunched in February last year to press
home the demand for ensuring capital
punishment for war criminal Abdul
Quader Molla.Of these groups, Moitree and JSD
Chhatra League are the student fronts
of Bangladesh Workers Party and Jati-
ya Samajtantrik Dal respectively both
allies to the ruling Awami League.
Bappaditya Basu, president of Bang-
ladesh Chhatra Moitree and one of the
organisers of the Moncho, read out a
written statement that said: We [205
organisations] selected Dr Imran H
Sarker as the convener of the Gono-
jagoron Moncho because he was not
actively involved with any particular
political organisation or any studentbody at that time. A few days later,
when the movement was in full swing,
Imrans attitude began to change and
he became autocratic. He began to ig-
nore the others opinions inside the
Gonojagoron Moncho and took vital
decisions on his own. We tried to solvethe problem internally, but failed.
Regarding Imrans hints about form-
ing a political party, Bappa said: We
will never sacrifice the countrymens
sentiment for any individuals wish-
es. Rather we will take stern actions
[against anyone who will do so] and
do everything needed for protecting
PAGE 2 COLUMN 3
Cern will train scienceteachers in BangladeshnSheikh Shahariar Zaman
Cern the biggest and the most prestig-
ious particle physics research institute
in the world is going into an umbrella
agreement with the Bangladesh gov-ernment to cooperate in the field of sci-
ence and technology.
The matter was disclosed yesterday
by Rolf-Dieter Heuer, director gener-
al of the European Organisation for
Nuclear Research (Cern) who came to
Dhaka on Monday on a three-day trip.
He was talking to a small group of
journalists at a city hotel yesterday.
Bangladesh and Cern signed an ex-pression of interest instrument last
year while a memorandum of under-
standing was likely to be signed in the
middle of this year, he added.
The umbrella agreement would tell
that Bangladesh and Cern wanted to
work together and it would be support-
ed by the government, he told journal-
ists.
Under the agreement, there would
be several arrangements such as pro-
viding training to high school teachers
and students or experiment-sharing
between Cern and a Bangladeshi uni-
versity.A Bangladeshi student would also be
sent to the institute in the summer for
two months for training, Heuer said.
We will arrange a workshop for
high school teachers and train them
with modern knowledge, he said.
Heuer observed that Bangladesh
needed to have good teachers to grow
interest among young students about
science. He said he would not have be-
come a physicist had his first teacher
not been good.
He also said big projects such as the
Apollo programme or the Higgs-Boson
invention attracted young people tostudy science. When the first rocket
was sent under the Apollo programmein the USA, many young students opted
to study engineering.
Cern, which proved the existence
of god particle, popularly known as
the Higgs-Boson particle in 2012 and
became a f ront page item, still attracts
media attention.
The world is still watching what we
are doing, Heuer said.
Cern has 21 member countries and
two associate members and 10,000-
11,000 scientists from 98 countries
work there.
Pakistan, Russia, Cyprus, Turkey,
Brazil and Ukraine have applied for as-
sociate memberships and after signing
the agreement, Bangladesh can also
apply for it.
The main thing is to have agree-
ment with the government. It makes
two things. One, it is more visible in
PAGE 2 COLUMN 6
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Jamadius Sani 8, 1435
Regd. No. DA 6238
Vol 2, No 11 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com SECOND EDITION
BusinessB1 The construction of luxury hotels will
enjoy exemption from all taxes except for
5% customs duty on the import of building
materials and equipment.
News5 Migration from villages to cities contrib-
utes rapid urban growth in Bangladesh
that poses serious threats to urban disaster
since the cities are growing violating urban
development principles and standards,
says a new study.
Nation6 The smuggling of potatoes to India
through Mogholhat border in Lalmonirhat
Sadar upazila is going strong because of
negligence of Border Guard Bangladesh.
Op-Ed11 It is election time for the largest de-
mocracy in the world. This time it happens
to be the largest elections ever held in any
country, with a record number of voters
set to exercise their voting rights.
Entertainment12 Shurer Dhara, one of the leading music
schools of the country, is preparing to
welcome Pahela Baishakh the first day
of the Bangla calendar with thousand
voices on April 14.
INSIDE
Traders from across the country bring boats loaded with watermelons to the Badamtoli fruit market. The fruit gains popularity during
the summer as people eat watermelons to get a respite from the scorching heat SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
Fakhrul releasedfrom Kashimpur jail
nOur Correspondent, Gazipur
BNP acting secretary general Mirza
Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was freed from
Kashimpur jail yesterday, a day after he
was granted six-month interim bail in a
case.Jahangir Kabir, senior jail super-
inetendent of Dhaka Central Jail 2
(Kashimpur), confirmed the news.
He said the BNP leader had earlier
also secured bail in two other cases,
filed with Shahbagh and Dhanmondi
police stations, in connection with a
petrol bomb attack on police car, van-
dalism and other charges.
On Monday, the High Court bench of
Justice Borhan Uddin and Justice KM
Kamrul Quader granted six monthsbail to Fakhrul in a case accusing him of
instigating a bomb attack in Malibagh
during pre-polls violence on November
30 last year that killed one person.
Fakhrul walked out of the jail as the
necessary papers of the bail order were
scrutinised after it arrived at Kashim-
pur in the afternoon.
PAGE 2 COLUMN 6
Public servantsmay not getsalary hikePay commission chairman says publicservants may get improved non-financial benefits instead of a hike
nAsif Showkat Kallol
The national pay commission may drop
the idea of hiking salaries of govern-
ment employees from a point of view
that it may lead to higher inflation.
Instead, the commission is contem-
plating improved non-financial bene-
fits such as insurance facilities, tuition
fee allowance and free textbooks for
the children of the employees.After the third meeting of the com-
mission yesterday, Chairman Moham-
mad Farashuddin told reporters that
the aim was t o improve effi ciency o f
government staffs without putting
pressure on the consumer price index.
According to a government circular,one of the tasks of the National Pay
and Services Commission formed last
year is to find a way to adjust the sal-
aries of government employees with
prevailing inflation rates.
The rate of inflation in the country
for March 2014 is 7.48%, says Bangla-
desh Bureau of Statistics. For the same
month, inflation in the USA is 1.1%, and
in the UK 1.7%. In India, inflation for
February 2014 was 6.73%.
The commission has put up two
sets of questionnaires on the finance
ministrys website seeking opinions
and recommendations from the publicservants about the next pay structure.
In those questionnaires, there are
several questions where respondents
are asked to give their opinions on
whether the next pay structure should
take into consideration the prevailing
inflationary pressures.
After yesterdays meeting,
Farashuddin said: There werediscussions on non-financial benefits
such as providing for tuition fees
of schools and colleges and giving
free textbooks and study materials
to the children of the employees...
We have also discussed short term
insurance facilities for the employees
alongside salaries. However, all
these are still at the initial stage of
consideration.
Binayak Sen, research director of
Bangladesh Institute of Development
Studies, told the meeting that raising
salaries and benefits would not solve
the problem of living standards; rather
the government needed to make sure
that effi cient and s killed peo ple were
recruited, meeting sources said.Then again, citing the example of
Indian public servants and universi-
ty professors many of whosemonth-
ly salaries are as much as Rs80,000-
Rs85,000 in addition to other fac ilities,
Sen stressed the need for good pay toattract effi cient people into the govern-
ment sector.
In Bangladesh, the pay scale for the
senior most government employees
is around Tk40,000 apart from other
benefits.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith also
reportedly agreed with the notion that
just like the private sector, talented
people should also work in the public
sector.
One member of the committee
pointed out that senior government
staffs should enjoy better insurance
policies than the younger ones.
Another member reportedly said the
government employees should start
contributing towards a housing fund
from the beginning of their services so
that they could own houses by the endof their job tenures.
PAGE 2 COLUMN 3
Just like the privatesector, talentedpeople should alsowork in public sector
9 | PINGS KEEP MH370 SEARCH IN LIMBO 14| BET ON ROONEY FOR BAYERN CLASHTreehouse | MIND READING 7 | IF THE HOUSE COULD SPEAK
The main thingis to haveagreementwith thegovernment
WATERMELONS GALORE: FEELING THIRSTY?
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7/22/2019 Print Edition: 9 April 2014
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News2 DHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, April 9, 2014
CHT DevelopmentBoard Bill placed in JSnTribune Report
The government tabled the Chittagong
Hill Tracts Development Board Bill
2014 in pa rliament yesterday, mainly to
replace the existing ordinance promul-
gated by Gen Ziaur Rahman in 1976.
When passed, the bill will establish
the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development
Board in Rangamati. The government
will then appoint the chairman and the
vice-chairman of the six-member board.
State Minister for Chittagong Hill
Tracts Affairs Bir Bahadur Ushwi Sing
placed the bill to continue ongoing de-
velopment projects in the region, which
lags behind in almost all the develop-
ment indicators. In keeping with proce-
dure, the Parliamentary Standing Com-
mittee on the Chittagong Hill Tracts
Ministry will further scrutinise the bill.
It has the authority to bring any changes
it seems fit to the proposed law.The standing committee will refer
its report back to the House after final-
ising its the recommendations. l
36 fake freedomfighters' certificatescancelledn
Mohosinul Karim
The Liberation War Affairs Ministry
cancelled freedom fighters certificates
of 39 offi cials as th ey were proved fals e
in the investigation.
A liberation war affair ministry ga-
zette notification issued on April 6 said
the temporary freedom fighters certif-
icates tha t were issued to th e offi cials
were proved false in the investigation
of the department of the national secu-
rity intelligence.
It was also proved that those offi cials
who have taken temporary certificates
from the ministry are not real freedom
fighters. As a result, the certificates is-
sued to those offi cials were can celled.
The certificates of former districtjudge Sadikur Rahman Talukder, Raipur
Sub-Registrar Offi ces assistant Golam
Mostafa, Project Director of LGED Ataur
Rahman Khan, Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan
Banks Deputy Manager Abul Kashem,
Bangladesh Krishi Banks Principal Of-
ficer Sheikh Jan Mohammad, Director
of Rural Electrification Board SM Saidur
Rahman Chowdhury, senior outdoor
assistants of Mongla Port Authority Sha-
habuddin Chowdhury and Sadek Ali,
BIWTAs Auto-gage Operator Ohiduz-
zaman Ahad and senior public servant
AKM Mirza Alam were cancelled.
Certificates of Gazipurs former dis-
trict food controller Mojibar Rahman,
Kishoreganj Sadars Dr Altabur Rah-
man, auditor of Magura Md Moksed
Ali, Assistant Commissioner of Chit-tagong Customs House Kazi Abdul Ba-
sit, KPCLs former senior clerk Kohinur
Miah, former public servant Sheikh
Mohammad Rawshan Ali, fisheries of-
ficer Zo arder Anw arul H aque, o ffi ce
assistant of small irrigation project of
Bhola Mosharef Hossain, employee of
Bangabandhu Hall of Agriculture Uni-
versity of Mymensingh Mofizul Islam,
offi ce assista nt of regional l abour offi ce
of Chittagong Tazul Islam Khan, Public
Works Departments Work Assistant
Nazrul Islam, Assistant Foreman Jainal
Abedin an d Administ rative Offi cer of
small irrigation project of Barishal Amir
Hossain were also cancelled.
The authorities also cancelled the
certificates of Faridpur Nagarkandas
Assistant Teacher SM Iman Uddin,
Bangladesh Railways Abdul Kaiyum
Amin, Dinajpur Chirir Bandars head-
master Debendra Nath Roy, Netrokona
Purbodholas headmaster Siraz Miah,
Headmaster of Chandpur Faridganj Sir-
azul Islam, Polices former sub-inspec-
tor Soaliman Ali, former sub-inspectorShamsur Rahman, Constable Amir Ali,
Security Habilder of AFCCL KM Bablu,
Khagrachari Ramgarhs Shah Md Wa-
liullah, Barguna Betagis Abdul Aziz,
Khulna Kairas Abdul Malek and Jamal-
pur Dewanganjs Abdul Aziz. l
Moudud apologises forGoyeshwars commentnTribune Report
BNP Standing Committee member
Moudud Ahmed has apologised to the
High Court for his fellow Goyeshwar
Chandra Roys contemptuous com-
ment about the court.
As Moudud went to the bench of
Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Jus-
tice ABM Altaf Hossain with a writ pe-
tition yesterday, the bench raised the
issue of Goyeshwar who on Sunday
said all courts including the Supreme
Court are in the po cket of Mujib Coat.
Moudud then apologised for Goyesh-
wars remark, Deputy Attorney General
Biswojit Roy told the Dhaka Tribune.
A junior colleague of Moudud also
confirmed the incident but said it was
informal.
Goyeshwar at a programme on Sun-
day said: Judge Court, High Court andSupreme Court all courts are now im-
prisoned in the pocket of Mujib Coat. If
it is not possible to tear this pocket, no-
body will get justice. T he judges con-
science will not be revived.
He alleged that the judges do not
hear arguments, rather they wait for
a signal. When the signal comes, the
judges have to pen down the judge-
ment in line with the signal.
The same bench on its own motion
on Monday asked Goyeshwar to appear
before it on April 20 to explain his re-
marks. It also summoned Doctors As-sociation of Bangladesh Vice-President
M Salam and Secretary General AZM
Zahid Hossain as Goyeshwar had made
the comment at a human chain organ-
ised by the pro-BNP doctors' platform.
The bench also issued a contempt rule
against the three asking as to why they
should not be punished for contempt
of court. The three alleged contem-
nors have to reply to the rule in writing
through affi davits within two weeks to
explain their positions if they had any. l
Rab arrests 2 recruiting agencyowners for fraud, human traffi ckingnKailash Sarkar
The Rapid Action Battalion yesterday
arrested the owners of two recruit-
ing agenci es suspect ed of traffi cking
people to the Middle East and holding
them hostage overseas for ransom.
The arrested suspects, identified
as Abdul Zabbar Khan, 47, owner of
Samira Tours and Travels, and SMA
Mannan, 37, owner of Zaber Interna-
tional, were picked up from the cap-
itals Mohammadpur and Paltan areas
respective ly, RAB 2 offi cials to ld a press
briefing at their Agargaon offi ce yester-
day evening.
The men are suspected to be mem-
bers of a human traffi cking gang, send-
ing people abroad, mostly to Middle
Eastern countries, with false jobs and
forged visas and passports.
They are also accused of sellingpeople as slaves in countries like Iraq,
or keeping them hostage by seizing
their passports and then collecting ran-
som money from their families in Ban-
gladesh.
The RAB offi cials sa id more th an
300 people had fallen victims to their
cheating and other inhuman activities.
Due to the gangs cheating and
forgeries, a few hundred innocent Ban-
gladeshis were arrested abroad and ex-
perienced untold sufferings in deten-
tion in foreign countries, AdditionalSuperintendent of Police Raihan Uddin
Khan, oper ation offi cer of RAB 2, said.
The offi cer said the s uspected ga ng
members used to send people abroad
through their recruiting agencies with
fake visas and passports. They were
also involved in sending women to Iraq
and selling them as the slaves there, he
added.
Zabbar Khan was arrested in Iraq in
2011 for cheating and forgery. He had
gone to Iraq several times using three
separate passports, Raihan Uddinsaid, adding that Zabbar was blacklist-
ed by the Iraqi authorities for his illegal
activities.
This gang sent 300 people to Iraq
against visas for only 100 people in
2009. Fifty of the victims were arrest-
ed and sent back home when it was
proven that they had fake visas, while
50 others had to suffer in jails there,
Raihan said.
Abdul Zabbar, from Faridpur dis-
trict, lives in Shyamoli, while Mannan,
of Kosba upazila in Brahmanbaria, re-
sides at Naya Paltan in the city.
Meanwhile, earlier yesterday, Mo-
hammad Barakat Ali, manager of
Samira Tours, had claimed that Man-
nan was picked up in a white microbus
outside his Moti jheel offi ce on Monday
night by some people who identified
themselves as RAB personnel. l
Special security for PahelaBaishakh celebrationsnKailash Sarkar
With the deployment of additional
forces of police and RAB, police author-
ities have projected a special security
plan for Pahela Baishakh, celebration
of the Bangla New Year.
Topmost offi cials of police held a
meeting at the Police Headquarters
yesterday afternoon fo r the planning.
Chaired by Inspector General of Police
Hassan Mahmood Khandker, the meet-
ing was attended by AKM Shahidul Ho-
que, additional IGP (Administrations),
Zaved Patwari, chief of Special Branch,
Himayet Hossain, chief of Armed Police
Battalion, Mokhlesur Rahman, direc-tor-general of RAB, and Benajir Ahmed,
commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan
Police (DMP), among others.
Control rooms will be set up at the
Police Headquarters, police headquar-
ters of all the metropolitans, all ranges
and offi ces of th e Superint endent of
Police (SP) so that the celebration takes
place without a hitch, as well as to co-
ordinate the security measures in this
regard.
Sources in the meeting said the in-spector general had asked all the forces
at the meeting to remain alert so that
people would be able to celebrate the
occasion. He also urged people to help
the law enforcers in this regard.
The sources also said RAB helicop-
ters would patrol from the sky on the
day of, apart from the additional forces
- both in uniform and plain clo th.
In addition, extra vigilance will be
arranged for in the shopping malls,
markets, bus and launch terminals and
railway stations.l
Court accepts charge
sheet against OisheenMd Sanaul Islam Tipu
A Dhaka court yesterday accepted the
charge sheets pressed against OisheeRahman and three others in a case re-
garding the murder of parents Special
Branch Inspector Mahfuzur Rahman
and his wife Swapna Rahman in August
last year.
After taking the charges into cogni-
sance, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate
Maruf Hossain sent the case to Metro-
politan Sessions Judges Court for trial.
Oishee, her boyfriend Mizanur Rah-
man Rony, Asaduzzaman Jony and
housemaid Khadiza Khatun alias Sumi
were present before the court.
On March 9, DB Inspector Abu Al
Khair Matubba r, also investigatio n offi -
cer of the case, submitted two separate
charge sheets before the Dhaka Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate Court.
Of the charge sheets, one was filed
against Oishee, Jony and Rony; Sumi
was also charged but she will be tried in
a juvenile court as she is still under 18.
On August 14 last year, the SB in-
spector and his wife were stabbed to
death at their rented flat in Chameli-
bagh, Malibagh. Police recovered the
bodies on August 16. Oishee and Sumi
surrendered at the Paltan police station
the following day. Later, Oishee gave a
confessional statement. l
BNP wantsPAGE 1 COLUMN 6
the district level leaders from April 10
and before that grassroots leaders will
have to sit with joint secretary generals
and organising secretaries.
The Nayapal tan central offi cials
have already issued letters and phoned
district leaders to let them know about
their schedules of meetings with cen-
tral leaders including the chairperson
in Dhaka.
As per the report, the joint secretary
generals and organising secretaries re-
quested Khaleda Zia to go to Nayapal-tan offi ce once a week but Kha leda Zia
refused to do so. l
Public servants may not get salary hikePAGE 1 COLUMN 2
According to meeting sources, the idea
was that if civil servants could be sure
that they would own houses at the end
of their jobs, they would not resort to
corruption.
After the meeting, former central
bank governor Farashuddin told re-
porters that it would not be possible for
the commission to submit the report by
the June deadline. He said the commis-
sion had already applied for extension
and hoped to place the report by De-
cember 2015.
The 17-member pay commission
was formed in November last year to
come up with a new pay scale for 12lakh government employees. l
Fakhrul releasedPAGE 1 COLUMN 1Earlier on January 20, Fakhrul, along
with BNP leaders Mirza Abbas and Ab-
dus Salam, were granted eight-week
bail by the High Court in a case over the
murder of a policeman at Banglamotor
and two more cases of arson in Mali-
bagh and Poribagh.
Howver, the Appellate Division can-
celled the bail orders of five BNP lead-
ers including the three on March 9.
On March 16, the three leaders were
produced before the court, where they
sought bail from the appellate division.
However, the court rejected the bail plea
and ordered them to be sent to jail. l
Student bodies warn Gonojagoron's ImranPAGE 1 COLUMN 4
the prestige of the Gonojagoron Mon-
cho. We will sit with all Moncho activ-
ists from around the country and the
pro-Liberation War cultural, social and
political organisations [for making a
decision].
He blamed Imran for being too le-
nient towards Chhatra League which
gave the ruling partys student front
the courage to assault Moncho activ-
ists.
He also claimed that Abir and Shishir
blamed for attacking Moncho activ-
ists had never been associated with
the Chhatra League and Jubo League;
rather they were activists of the Mon-
cho.
In immediate reaction to the press
conference, Imran said: I never de-
cided anything for the Moncho on my
own. People will always have different
views, but it is not always possible to
accept them. But that does not mean
that we were autocratic.Terming the recent turmoil within
the Moncho unexpected, he said: We
have already planned to form a new
committee comprising representatives
from all the organisations so that we
can make f uture decisions calmly.
He also said: I do not considerthis a warning from the Gonojagoron
Moncho. I was not selected [as
the spokesperson] by those five
organisations. There are hundreds
more. But I accept the allegations as a
view from my allies and hope to work
jointly in future. l
Cern will trainscience teachers in
BangladeshPAGE 1 COLUMN 6
the political arena and second, it is sort
of moral obligation to continue for this
not for one year but for long-term, hesaid.
The Cern chief said the workshop
for teachers was likely to be held at the
end of this year. l
Porters and day labourers sleep away in the daytime on the walkway of Sadarghat Launch Terminal in the capital as there are very few launches operating until the evening. The photo
was taken yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
Leaders of five student organisations hold a press conference at Madhu's C anteen on Dhaka University campus yesterday, raising various
allegations against Gonojagoron Moncho spokesperson Imran H Sarker RAJIB DHAR
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3NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Study: Only 7 outof 126 RMG trade
unions activenTazlina Zamila KhanOnly seven trade unions in the ready-
made garment industry out of 126 reg-
istered are actively working to promote
the rights of workers, a new study says.
The key impediment for most trade
unions not being functional is harass-
ment and assaults by the factory man-agement, finds the study titled Organ-
ising Trade Unions in the RMG Sector
2010-14.
It states that two trade unions re-
ceived registrations in 2011 and 2012,
while the number increased to 81 last
year, but has come down to 43 this year.
The findings of the study conducted
by Solidarity Centre were revealed
yesterday at a social dialogue pro-
gramme styled Industrial Relation
and Sustainable Development of RMG
Industry in Bangladesh: Role of Na-
tional and International Stakeholders.
Bangladesh Institute of Labour Stud-
ies (BILS) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
(FES) organised the event in the citys
Brac Inn.
Alonzo Glenn Suson, executive di-
rector of Solidarity Centre, said around
20% of the workers engaged with the
trade unions fo und it diffi cult to oper-ate due to torture by the members of
the factory offi cials.
Quoting recent studies of the BILS,
speakers said at least 1,063 industrial
unrests took place from January 2010
to June 2013. Most of these incidentscould have been avoided had there
been the practice of bipartite dialogue
at the factory level and tripartite dia-
logue at national level.
One of the main reasons behind
those outbursts was the absence of dis-
pute settlement through discussions.
Michael Sommer, president of the
International Trade Union Confeder-
ation (ITUC) and chairman of German
Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB),
said: Unified trade unions are a must
to ensure the workers rights. Employ-
ers and government need to provide
more space for the unions to operate.
He suggested having a regular so-
cial dialogue in every two months rep-
resented by the unions to address the
problems.
Sommer stressed the need for en-
suring safe work places, and equitable
and economically sustainable wage
growth, reliable cooperation and ac-
countability structures between work-ers and employers. So, Accord should
be fully implemented.
On February 20, the Accord, a
platform of 150 European retailers,
launched the first phase of inspection
and inspected over 225 factories for
fire and electrical safety and over 180
factories were inspected for structuralsafety. On the other hand, the Alliance
for Workers Safety in Bangladesh had
inspected 305 factories and found no
faults.
Roy Ramesh Chandra, secretary
general of IndustriAll Bangladesh
Council, suggested formation of a sep-
arate trust fund for the RMG workers.
The owners will pay Tk5 per work-
er and the workers will pay the same
amount every month. The buyers will
give 10 cents. This fund can be used for
the betterment of the workers.
The former Jatiya Sramik League
leader said the workers could also sit
with the buyers in order to ensure their
rights.
Syed Sultan Uddin Ahammed, as-sistant executive director of BILS, said
the owners ignored the basic needs of
millions of workers, especially their
accommodation and medical facilities.
Mikail Shiper, secretary of Labour
and Employment Ministry, said: TheNational Crisis Management Commit-
tee headed by the labour minister was
formed to address the workers rights
issue.
Srinivas Reddy, country director of
the International Labour Organisation,
said the RMG sector was vital for Ban-
gladesh to achieve the Millennium De-
velopment Goals and reduce poverty.l
ACC: Mosharrafs wife involvedwith money laundering
nTribune Report
The Anti-Corruption Commission
(ACC) has found that Bilkis Akhter
Hossain, wife of detained BNP stand-
ing committee member Khandaker
Mosharraf Hossain, was involved with
laundering Tk9.54 crore to the UnitedKingdom.
ACC deputy director Ahsan Ali told
reporters: Mosharraf has concealed
his income related information in the
income tax statement filed in Bangla-
desh and we have found his wifes in-
volvement with irregularity.
He made the disclosure after ques-
tioning Bilkis Akhter at the ACC head-
quarters at Segunbagicha.
However, Bilkis Ahter declined to
comment further saying: I have ap-
peared before the ACC following their
notice and have replied to their que-
ries.
ACC director Nasim Anwar on Feb-
ruary 6 filed a case against the BNP
leader on charge of laundering around
Tk9.54crore to the United Kingdom.
According to the case statement,
Khandaker Mosharraf illegally amassed
over 800,000 (Tk95,395,381) by abuse
of power between 2001 and 2006 and
concealing information.
The sum has been put into a joint
fixed-term deposit account at Lloyds
TSB Offshore Private Banking at Guern-
sey in the UK. The joint account be-
longs to him and his wife.
On March 12, police arrested Khan-
dakar Mosharraf at Gulshan in the capi-
tal in connection with the case. l
BNP: Unfreeze Khaledasbank accountsnMohammad Al-MasumMolla
The BNP yesterday demanded that
party Chairperson Khaleda Zias bank
accounts be reopened immediately al-
leging that those were frozen unjustly.
In 2007, the then caretaker gov-
ernment frozen bank accounts of both
Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. ButSheikh Hasinas accounts were unfro-
zen in 2008 and she is operating her
accounts.
Nazrul Islam Khan, standing com-
mittee member of the party, said this
while addressing a press briefing atpartys Nayapaltan headquarters: We
strongly demand the immediate un-
freezing of her bank accounts.
The government evicted Khaleda
Zia from her cantonment residence
with a political vengeance, he said.
Nazrul said Khaleda Zia has eight
bank accounts and among those there
is no money in six bank accounts.The BNP leader alleged Khaledaa
Zias bank accounts have remained fro-zen for long seven years.
From the prime minister to minis-
ters and ruling party leaders are mak-
ing derogatory remarks on Khaleda Zia
which is unfortunate. I have no word to
condemn the ruling party leaders false
and dirty comments on Khaleda Zias
personal life. l
Feroz Rashid: JaPa not true oppositionnKamran Reza Chowdhury
A senior lawmaker of Ershads Jatiya
Party yesterday resented the fact that
his party was not the true opposition.
Peoples perception of the JaPa is
very bad as the electorate do not rate
it as the true opposition in parliament,
said Kazi Feroz Rashid in an unsched-uled discussion that started minutes
after the House started its business at
5:05pm.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury
presided over the session.
He demanded that the JaPa be given
the responsibilities of some heads of
the parliamentary standing committee.
Kazi Feroz Rashid said the result
of the recently-held upazila was a tes-
timony to peoples perception of the
government-JaPa relation.
It is regrettable that the JaPa is not
given any post of chiefs of the standing
committee. We cannot show our face
outside, he said.He lamented the fact that he was the
ninth member of a standing committee
while he was telecom minister 25 years ago.
He said the JaPa would extend all
out support to the government on
some basic issues. We will praise all
good actions of the government and
criticise the bad decisions.
Rustom Ali Farazi, an independent
MP and former JaPa lawmaker,
then took the floor in another
unscheduled slot. He also echoed the
view of Firoz.
SM Abul Kalam Azad, the lone MP
from Bangladesh Nationalist Front, ob-
jected to the government decision togive power corridor to India which
refused Bangladesh the due share of
the Teesta river.
It is not acceptable that we are to
meet the demands of India one after
another but never get our due share ofwaters, he said.l
Witness: Azhar abducted Carmichael College teachersnUdisa Islam
A new prosecution witness in the trial
against alleged al-Badr commander of
Rangpur ATM Azharul Islam yesterday
said the accused had been involved di-
rectly in the abduction and killing of
Carmichael College teachers during the
1971 Liberation War.
Shobha Kar, sister of martyred Chit-
yaranjan Roy, told the war crimes tribunal
about the abductions of her brother and
three other teachers. She could identify at
the time of incident Azhar since they had
been classmates, the witness said.Now living in Kolkata of India, she
submitted his deposition as the 19th
prosecution witness in the case. De-manding justice for the killings, the
witness said the man who had planned
and killed the intellectuals of the coun-
try should be punished.
After her deposition, the defence
counsel started questioning her and
the tribunal 1 adjourned the trial until
tomorrow.
Shobha said she used to stay on the col-
lege premises with her brother who was a
teacher of mathematics department.
At midnight on April 30 of 1971,
some Pakistani Army personnel came
to our house and picked my brotherup with two other colleagues Sunil
Baran Chakrabarty and Ram Krishna
Adhikari. For some reason, Ram Krish-
na was at our house.
When the abductors took them on
a truck, we saw through the window
that some Bangalees were helpingthem. I identified Azhar then because
he was my classmate.
The witness said the next day Ratan
Das, the cook of Kala Chand who was
a teacher of chemistry, told her that
Azhar had also abducted his master. He
also saw the abduction of Manjusree,
wife of Kala Chand, and Sunil Baran.
Shobha said: Later my brothers
student Salauddin informed us that all
of them had been killed near Damdam
Bridge of Rangpur town when the lower
halves of their bodies were kept under the
ground and all of them were blind folded.
Azhar, a senior Jamaat-e-Islami lead-
er, was indicted on November 12 last
year on six charges of crimes against hu-
manity including genocide in 1971.
Meanwhile, the same tribunal yester-
day deferred the proceedings of the case
against war crimes accused Mobarak Hos-
sain upon a defence plea until April 17.
The defence counsels earlier sought
time several times. The tribunal yester-day said it was accepting the plea for
the last time. If the defence failed to
produce their last witness, the prose-
cution would begin their closing argu-
ments in the case.
At the tribunal 2, the prosecution
yesterday paced the 23rd witness, Ani-
sur Rahman, in the case against warcrimes accused Mir Kashem Ali, an
alleged al-Badr commander in Chit-
tagong during the Liberation War who
operated torture camps in the port city.
The witness works at the investi-
gation agency as an inspector. He is
in charge of the agencys library from
where the inve stigatio n offi cer seized
some documents.
After his deposition and cross-ex-
amination, the tribunal set today for
placi ng the investi gation o ffi cer, also
the prosecutions last witness.
The same tribunal yesterday re-corded cross-examination of the first
prosecution witness in the case againstwar crimes accused Maulana Abdus
Subhan. Witness ATM Shahiduzzaman
Nasim on Monday described the killing
of three members of his family in 1971
when the accused had been present at
the scene with a sword in his hand.
The tribunal 2 set today for plac-
ing the second witness against the ac-
cused, a Jamaat nayeb-e-ameer.l
HC allows twomore weeks toensure widespreaduse of Bangla
nTribune Report
The High Court yesterday gave two
more weeks to the government to en-
sure the usage of Bengali in the names
of mass media, number plates for vehi-
cles and all sign boards.It also asked the government to en-
sure use of Bangla in every sphere of
life except the embassies and foreign
institutions.
The bench comprising Justice
Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice
ABM Altaf Hossain passed theorder following a petition filed by the
government.
On February 17, the High Court
bench passed an order to ensure
all-out use of Bangla upon a petition
of Supreme Court lawyer Eunus Ali
Akond.
The court also directed the govern-
ment to comply with it within its allot-
ted time.
As the order was not implement-
ed, Akond lodged a contempt of
court petition with the HC on April 6
against six secretaries of cabinet
division, and law, home, cultural
affairs, information, and education
ministries.l
Bangladesh to bea middle-incomecountry soon
nBSS
US Ambassador Dan Mozena said here
today that Bangladesh would soon
emerge as a middle- income country.
The envoy was on a tour of Joypur-
hat where he visited the countrys big-
gest sugar mill, Joypurhat Sugar Mills.Explaining his optimism, he said
that the people of Bangladesh have the
merit and skill to make their co untry an
economic tiger soon.
The local administration including
Zilla Parishad administrator, S M Sulay-
man Ali, the mayor of the local munic-
ipality, president of the local chamber
of commerce, the deputy commission-
er and superintendent of police held a
meeting with the Ambassador at the
local Circuit House. l
Apparel workers vandalise a factory at Chittagong EPZ yesterday to press for their various demands DHAKA TRIBUNE
The Democratic Left Alliance begins road march towards Teesta Barrage from the National Press Club in the capital yesterday demanding proper water sharing RAJIB DHAR
At least 1,063 incidentsof industrial unrest tookplace during the period
between January 2010and June 2013
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News4 DHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Hall-Mark bossesface another case
nMd Sanaul Islam Tipu
The Sonali Bank authorities yesterday
filed a fresh case against Hall-Mark
Group Chairman Jasmine Islam and
Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud
for realising Tk60.44 crore on behalf
of Design Wear Limited and High Need
Limited that swindled the hefty money
from the bank through forgery.
In the case, the couple and the two
entities of the group have been made
defendants for defaulting the amount.
Abdus S alam, executive offi cer ofthe state-owned banks Ruposhi Bangla
Hotel branch, lodged the case with Ar-
tha Rin Adalat 1 (money loan court) ofDhaka. Judge Md Rabiuzzaman took the
case into cognisance and ordered the de-
fendants to submit written statements
before it by April 12 through counsels.
With this, the bank has filed 12 cases
against Hall-Mark Group for realising
more than Tk161.82 crore.
Hall-Mark alone took away Tk2,686
crore from the bank on forged doc-
uments between 2010 and 2012. The
scam shook the entire country when it
came to light in May 2012.
The Anti-Corruption Commission
filed 11 cases against 27 persons tied
to Hall-Mark and the bank on Octo-
ber 4, 2012. The ACC on October 7 last
year pressed charges against 25 of the
accused. Of them, seven persons, in-
cluding Tanvir, are now in jail while
Jasmine is on bail. Seventeen others
are absconding. l
SAMIUL MURDER
Key accused Bakkus bail cancellednTribune Report
The High Court (HC) yesterday can-celled the bail of Md Shamsuzzaman
Arif alias Bakku, the prime accused in
the case of murder of Samiul Azim Wafi,
a six-year-old boy.
An HC bench comprising Justice Ni-
zamul Huq and Justice Zahangir Hos-
sain passed the order.
Deputy Attorney General Amit Taluk-
der said the bench on February 16 grant-
ed bail to Bakku and issued a rule, ask-
ing the authorities concerned as to why
Bakku should not be granted permanent
bail. The court yesterday cancelled his
bail after quashing the rule, he said.
According to the case statement, vic-
tims mother Humaira Akter Ayesha and
her lover Bakku killed Samiul as he wit-
nessed them being intimate. His body
was recovered from near his house in
the capitals Adabar on June 24, 2010.
On February 1 in 2011, a Dhaka court
framed charges against the duo and
the trial started after seven days with
the testimony of KR Azam, father of
the minor boy. So far, nine prosecution
witnesses have given depositions in the
case.
Azam recently told the Dhaka Tri-
bune that he received death threat from
Bakku after he was released on bail from
jail. The accused also threatened the
victims father not to bring witnesses
anymore to the court.l
Government lacksaccurate data onmigrant workersnRabiul Islam
The government has no accurate data
on the migrant workers who are now
working in different countries, includ-
ing Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United
Arab Emirates, Oman, Singapore, Ku-
wait and Malaysia.
As a result, experts say, it is not pos-
sible to project the foreign currenciesto be remitted by the migrant workers.
They have observed that it is also
necessary to collect accurate data on
the migrant workers with a view to
making policy for migration sector.
For example, they said, statistics are
a must if the government wants to pro-
vide the migrant workers with proper
services.
Just on the basis of assumption, the
expatriates welfare and overseas em-
ployment ministry claims that nearly
one crore migrants are now working
abroad.According to Bureau of Manpow-
er, Employment and Training (BMET)
data, 8,813,070 migrant workers have
gone abroad till March 2014 since 1976.
It means these workers got clearance
from BMET.
During the period, a total of
2,630,580 migrants have gone to KSA
while 2,308,433 to UAE, 479,814 to
Kuwait, 869,921 to Oman, 284,235 to
Qatar, 278,623 to Bahrain, 100,545 to
Lebanon, 118,896 to Libya, 706,954 toMalaysia and 498,623 migrants to Sin-
gapore. These are the major labour im-
porting countries.
Offi cials concern ed sai d migr ant
workers usually go abroad on a two-
year contract.
A large number of workers return
home every year after the expiry of
their contracts, they said, adding that
the government does not collect data
on returnees.
Apart from returnees, a good num-
ber of migrants who become illegal due
to overstay are deported every year,
but the government has no statistics.
According to BMET, 250,000 mi-
grants were deported from different
countries since 2009. Of the total,
around 36,000 migrant workers were
evacuated from Libya during civil war
in 2011.
Refugee and Migratory Movements
Research Unit (RMMRU) founding
chair Tasneem Siddiqui said the gov-
ernment has no mechanism to keep
information on returnees.It is very important to keep accurate
statistics for the migrants, she said,
adding: If we want to evacuate the
migrants during any crisis situation
like Libya, data is a must.
Now we cannot project the remit-
tances to be remitted by the migrants
as we dont know how many workers
are working abroad at the moment,Tasneem told the Dhaka Tribune re-
cently.
A senior offi cial at the exp atriates
welfare ministry said data is necessary
if the government wants to provide the
returnees with proper service.
Around 8,700,000 workers are now
working abroad, Expatriates Welfare
Secretary Khondaker Showkat Hossain
told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
When asked about a large number
of returnees, he replied in the negative.
Talking to this correspondent at her
offi ce on Sunday, BMET Di rector Gen -
eral Begum Shamsun Nahar admitted
that there is no accurate data on mi-grant workers.
We are trying to keep data on re-
turnees and we would get accurate
data on our migrants.
She also informed that out of BMET
clearance, a large number of workers
have gone abroad. l
Rajuk gets new chairmannMohosinul Karim
The government yesterday appointed
a new chairman for Rajdhani Unnayan
Kartripakkha (Rajuk) and reinstated the
former chairman of Insurance Develop-
ment & Regulatory Authority (IDRA) both for three years.
Former chairman of National Hous-
ing Authority GM Jainal Abedin Bhuiyan
has been made the new chairman of the
citys development regulator while for-
mer IDRA chairman M Shefaque Ahmed
was reappointed, according to separate
orders of the public administration min-
istry. The orders will be effective from
their joining date. The offi cials will have
to disconnect all relations with any oth-
er companies or organisations.Former bureaucrat Jainal Abedin,
who is now on post-retirement leave
(PRL) as an additional secretary, will re-
place Nurul Huda.
The tenure of contractual appoint-
ment of Huda, a retired civil engineer
who worked for the public works de-
partment, expires on April 20. Earlier,
the government rejected Hudas resig-
nation several times and extended his
contracts three times. He has been the
Rajuk chairman for the last four years.
Meanwhile, the IDRA turned into
a guardian-less entity after the end of
three-year contract of Shefaque on Jan-
uary 26. Later, the government issued
a circular bestowing the charges of the
chairman to Md Fazlul Karim, the lone
existing member of the authority.
The regulator requires at least three
members out of its five posts, includ-
ing the chairman, to hold a commission
meeting, according to the IDRA Act.
The government established theIDRA in January 2011, replacing the De-
partment of Insurance, to develop the
insurance industry, by enacting an act
in the parliament. Shefaque was thefounder chairmen of the regulator.l
WiFi bus set to ply city streetsnMuhammad Zahidul Islam
The government is set to introduce
special buses equipped with third gen-
eration wireless internet connectivity
for commuters in the capital.
Under the Access to Information
(a2i) program under the Prime Min-
isters Offi ce, arou nd 20 buses o f the
state-owned Bangladesh Road Trans-
port Corporation (BRTC) equipped
with the facility will be introduced
along the Motijheel-Uttara route.
Commuters with WiFi enabled de-vices, such as smartphones, laptops or
tablet computers, will be able to use the
service while travelling on the buses.Commerce Minister ObaidulQuad-
er and State Minister for ICT Zunaid
AhmedPalak are expected to inaugu-
rate the service tomorrow at the capi-
tals Farmgate area.
Source said, the a2i programme will
be providing at least four 3G wireless
routers of state-owned mobile phone
operator Teletalk in each of the buses,
which will enable around 40 pa ssenger
to use the service simultaneously.Even if the buses travel at 55 to
60 km per hour, there will be no dis-
ruption in the service, Naimuzzaman
Mukta, peoples perspective specialist
of a2i programme, told the Dhaka Tri-bune yesterday.
He added that currently at least 10%
passengers used smartphones and would
be able to use the internet services to
spend their time more productively.l
Engineer gunned down in capitalnAshif Islam Shaon
A young textile engineer was shot dead
by unidentified criminals in the Kolaba-
gan area of the capital early yesterday.The victim, Sadbin Hossain, 25, had
recently joined an apparel factory as a
textile engineer in Savar after complet-
ing his studies.
Quoting the deceaseds relatives,
police sources said Sadbin was return-
ing to his Green Road home around
12:45am on a motorcycle, when some
miscreants in a car intercepted his ve-
hicle near Labaid Hospital and shot
him indiscriminately. Nearby pedestri-
ans took Sadbin to the hospital where
duty doctors declared him dead.
Police later sent his body to the
Dhaka Medical College morgue for an
autopsy. A case has been filed accusing
a man named Jahangir Azim, who had
allegedly been threatening to kill Sad-
bin as the textile engineer refused to
pay extortion to Jahangir.
Kolabagan police station OC Md
Iqbal said Azim might be involved in
the murder and they were trying their
best to arrest him along with the other
criminals. l
Oman to recruit 35 doctors and50 nurses from BangladeshnRabiul Islam
Oman will recruit a total of 35 doctors
and 50 nurses from Bangladesh in the
next one month for a health centre
located at an industrial area near the
capital, Muscat.
Bangladesh Overseas Employment
Services Ltd (Boesl), a government
sponsored recruiting agency, would
handle the recruitment process.We would process the recruitment
as interested doctors and nurses do not
want to go through private recruiting
agencies, which charge huge amounts
of money for processing the visas, Za-
hirul Islam, general manager of Boesl
told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
The medical personnel would be
employed at the Rusayl Health Centre,
a multi-specialty hospital at Rusayl In-
dustrial Estate, 45km from Muscat.
Interested doctors and nurses have
to apply to the agency by April 15, and
interviews will take place on April 20.Each selected candidate would
only have to pay Tk60,000 as servicecharges, and no other fees, Zahirul
said.
There are 25 posts for MBBS doctors
with monthly salaries of US$2,100 and
other facilities, while 10 aviation med-
icine specialists for treating aircrews
will be paid $2,600 each.
A total 25 male nurses and 25 fe-male nurses would also be recruited
for monthly salaries of $760 and $730
respectively.
If we send the doctors and nurses
successfully, we would get more re-
quests, Zahirul hoped.
Oman is one of the destinations for
migrant workers from Bangladesh. Inthe first three months of this year, the
Persian Gulf nation recruited 27,137
Bangladeshi workers, according to the
Bureau of Manpower, Employment
and Training. l
Ship-breaking yardcatches fire in Ctg
nCU Correspondent
A ship-breaking yard at Kumira in Chit-
tagongs Sitakunda upazila caught fire
yesterday afternoon.
However, no causality was reported
in the incident, according to the FireService and Civil Defence sources.
Abdul Harun Pasha, senior station
offi cer at Kumira fire s tation, sa id a fire
had broken out at BBC Ship-Breaking
Yard at Ghatghar area around 6:30pm.
On receiving information, fire
fighters of Kumia fire station rushed to
the spot and doused the blaze after one
hour, he said, adding that reason for
the fire was yet to be known.
Kamal Hossain, assistant sub-inspector at Sitakunda police Station,
said a team of police had inspected
the site.
The extent of damages caused by
the fire was yet to be determined.l
Muggers shoot bKash agent, snatch Tk10 lakhnKailash Sarkar
Pistol-wielding muggers on motorcycles
opened fire on a sales agent of a mobile
banking service and made off with Tk10
lakh in broad daylight in the capitals
Mirpur area yesterday, leaving him and
a passer-by with bullet wounds.
The wounded victims, Abul Kalam
Mollah, 28, a sales agent for bKash,
and Kabir Hossain, 25, the driver of a
private car, were admitted to the Dha-
ka Medical College and Hospital.
Abul Kalam was hit with two bullets
in his chest and hand, while Kabir was
shot in the shoulder, hospital sources
said.
Witnesses and police said several
armed men, riding on two or three mo-
torbikes, waylaid Abuls motorcycle in
front of Al Helal Hospital at Kazipara
around 1pm while he was on his way
to a Brac Ba nk branch from his o ffi ce
in Pallabi.
The armed criminals first tried
to take away the bag with the money
from Abul. But when he tried to resist
them, they started shooting, snatched
the bag and sped away, Sub-inspec-
tor Fazlur Rahman of DMCH police
outpost said, adding: Kabir, who wasdriving through the area at the time,
was hit by a stray bullet.
Bystanders and local residents first
rushed the injured men to a nearby
clinic. They were later moved to the
DMCH for b etter treatment.
Saiful Islam, a cousin of Abul Kalam,
said the criminals probably followed Ka-
lam from his offi ce, AID Distributors,
and carried out the attack at Kazipara.When the pedestrians and locals
chased after the criminals, they fired in-
discriminately, said Saiful.
A subsidiary of Brac Bank, bKash
Ltd provides mobile financial services,
enabling people to transfer money over
their mobile phones across the country.
In another incident in the city, a
gang of muggers at Goranin Khilga-
on stabbed a police constable and
snatched gold jewellery from his wife
around 6:30am yesterday as the couple
was returning to their Chawkbazar res-
idence in a rickshaw.
The victim, Nazrul Islam, 38, posted
at Chawk Bazar police station, was ad-
mitted to the DMCH with stab wounds
in his hands, legs and face.
His wife, Israt Jahan Mitu, said Naz-
rul was stabbed as he resisted the mug-
gers.
When the rickshaw reached Goran,
a gang of four to five muggers stopped
us and snatched away my gold neck-
lace and ring. As my husband tried to
resist them, they stabbed him indis-
criminately, Israt Jahan said.
Inspecto r Siraju l Islam , offi cer in
charge of Khilgaon police station, said
they were trying to apprehend the
criminals. l
BGB personnel pose with smuggled Indian sarees, worth around Tk1.37 crore, seized in Comilla yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE
In a recent photo, a farmer is seen using a locally made irrigation system to cultivate paddy on a piece of land where once used to be the Fokinni River in the Bagchha village in Rajshahis
Bagmara upazila DHAKA TRIBUNE
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TWOKI MURDER
Twoki Moncho: Highestgovernment authoritiesinterfering in probe
nTribune ReportThe highest tier of the government was
intervening in the probe of Twokis
murder because members of an influ-
ential family close to the government
were found to be involved with the
crime, claimed Santrash Nirmul Two-
ki Moncho, a platform to ensure jus-
tice for the murder of the Narayanganj
teenager.
Analysing the investigation and tri-
al process, it is normal to think that the
highest authority of the government
was intervening into the investigation
and trial process, Twokis father Rafiur
Rabbi alleged at a press briefing yester-
day.
Two days after going missing, TanvirMohammad Twoki, 17, was found dead
on March 8 last year on the bank of Shi-
talakkhya River. Twoki was allegedly
murdered because of his fathers role
as the member secretary of the election
conducting committee of Salina Hayat
Ivy, who defeated rival Shamim Osman
in the Narayanganj City Corporation
election.
In yesterdays press briefing, activ-
ists of Twoki Moncho also alleged that
Narayanganj has become a den of mur-
der, extortions and crimes after Sham-
im Osman and Nasim Osman becamelawmakers.
After they [Shamim Osman and Na-
sim Osman] became MPs in an unop-
posed election, on the one hand they
are threatening the activists of Twoki
Moncho and on the other hand they are
intervening the investigation and trial
process of Twoki killing, Halim Azad,
member secretary of the Moncho said
in a written statement.
Speaking at the press briefing, noted
cultural personality Kamal Lohani said
despite assurance from the premier,
the killers were yet to be brought to jus-
tice even though 13 months had passed
since the killing.
He added that although the prime
minister showed generosity in other issues,
people were not satisfied with her role in
addressing the Twoki murder issue.
She [prime minister] had said she
needed Shamim Osman for her party.
Can she not make some compromise
for an innocent teenager like Twoki? Is
she not a mother? Lohani asked.
He said that if the killers of Two-
ki were not punished, one day people
would seek accountability from the
government.
Manzurul Ahsan Khan, adviser to
the Communist Party of Bangladesh,
said the failure to punish Twokis mur-
derers was sending a message to other
criminals that murderers did not have
to face punishment.
He said the government must take
strict action against all criminals irre-
spective of their partisan loyalty. l
5NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, April 9, 2014
PRAYER TIMES
Fajar 4:27am
Sunrise 5:41am
Zohr 12:00am
Asr 3:28pm
Magrib 6:17pm
Esha 7:33pm
Source: IslamicFinder.org
Source: Accuweather/UNB
F O R E C A S T F O R T O D A Y
Dhaka 35 25
Chittagong 32 25
Rajshahi 40 23
Rangpur 36 23Khulna 36 24
Barisal 34 25
Sylhet 33 21
Coxs Bazar 32 25
D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW
SUN SETS 6:18PM SUN RISES 5:42AM
YESTERD AYS H IGH AND LOW37.4C 21.2C
Rajshahi Srimangal
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9
RAIN
LIKELY
Cities not ready to manage migration,reveals an Oxfam studynAhmed Zayeef
Migration from villages to cities con-
tributes rapid urban growth in Bangla-
desh that poses serious threats to urban
disaster since the cities are growing vi-
olating urban development principles
and standards, says a new study.
The study conducted by Oxfam
states that while the rural people, af-
fected by joblessness, migrate to the
cities for better living, a large section of
them have poorer living.
The cities are not prepared to better
manage them.
The international NGO has revealed
the study findings yesterday at a work-
shop on urban disaster risk reduction
based on the disaster vulnerabilities
of Dhaka, Rangpur,Khulna, Mymens-
ingh, Sirajganj,MonglaPort, KurigramandDurgapur.
The workshop took place at Spectra
Convention Centre in the city.
According to the study, over 4.4
crore people which is 29.1% of the total
population of now are now living in the
urban areas.
It was only 15% in 1981 and 23% in
2001.
Within the next decade, the number
could rise to 6.5 crore, as of the UN pro-
jection, says the study.
Analysing last 10 years poverty in-
cidence gap between rural and urban
areas, the study says: The poverty in-
cidences in disaster-affected or adja-
cent urban areas increased than rural
areas, but in non-affected areas, the
urban poverty has reduced in last 5years.
Citing the example of Khul-
naand Barisaldivisions where urban
poverty has increased rapidly after the
cyclones in 2007 and 2009, the study
states that such natural disasters are
pushing people to the urban areas.
Such trend will go up. So, if we do
not handle rural-urban migration in
a planned way, vulnerabilities in the
cities will be serious threats, AKM Ma-
munur Rashid, a disaster risk reduction
specialist, said while presenting the
study.
He said the existing urban land-use
planning did not consider urban haz-
ards in their planning and guidelines.
Only the recent Detailed Area Plan
(DAP) of Dhaka city has considered
flood and water-logging issues, while
the building code is considered be-
cause of earthquake and fire hazard, he
said.
However, implementation of the
DAP and the building code still remains
a big challenge to implement for thecity, he added.
Disaster Management Minister Mo-
fazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya said
presently more than 90% of the minis-
trys allocation was spent for humani-
tarian assistance, but reducing risks is
now becoming more important.
He assured of settling these issues
in consultation with other ministries
concerned.
Prof Mahbuba Nasreen, Prof AQM
Mahbub and Prof Dr ASM Maksud Ka-
mal, Department of Disaster Manage-
ment Director General Mohammed
Abdul Wazed, European Commission
representative Abdul Awal and Oxfam
Country Director Snehal Soneji also
spoke at the function. l
RU BCL postponesindefinite strikenRU Correspondent
Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL)
Rajshahi University unit yesterday
postponed its indefinite strike on the
campus till April 29 demanding the im-
mediate arrest of Rustom Ali Akonds
killers, a BCL leader who was alleged-
ly killed by Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS)
operatives in his dormitory room last
Friday.
BCL leaders also threatened tougher
action if their demands were not met
by April 29, at a press conference held
at the university central cafeteria at
2pm.
BCL RU unit President Mizanur Rah-
man Rana said they had postponed
their indefinite strike for the sake of
students after discussing it with the
university aut horities , police offi cials
and the central BCL committee.BCL yesterday observed its strike for
the fourth consecutive day since Satur-
day, while no classes and examinations
were held during the strike on the cam-
pus.
BCL RU unit General Secretary
Touhid-al-Hossain Tuhin said if their
six-point demands, including the ar-
rest of ICS RU unit President Ashraful
Alam Emon, were not met by April 29,
they would declare tougher measures
on campus.
Other demands by the BCL include
financial assistance for Rustom Alis
bereaved family, banning Shibirs pol-
itics on campus, suspending all Shibir
cadres involved in earlier attacks on
BCL men including Faruk Hossain who
was allegedly killed by Shibir activists
on February 8, 2010; ensuring securityof students on campus and holding an
election for RU Central Students Union
(RUCSU).
Rustom was a fourth year student
of Political Science and acting general
secretary of BCL Shaheed Shuhrawardy
Hall unit. He was shot dead in his room
last Friday. He was also a candidate for
the post of president in the upcoming
hall unit council, slated to be held on
April 10.
Students of the Political Science de-
partment held a mourning ceremony
and a discussion at the department in
the morning and demanded justice for
Rustom as soon as possible.
BCL also held a mass signature cam-
paign in front of the central library in
support of their demands yesterday
morning.
Sharmin Akhter, a magistrate of Ra-
jshahi Chief Metropolitan Magistrate
court yesterday granted a one-day re-
mand for two Shibir men detained last
Sunday. Police had asked for seven
days of rem and, Ziau r Rahman , offi -cer-in-charge of DB, said.
The detainees were ICS Dashmari
unit Finance Secretary Sanaullah Jacky
and Khurshed Alam, an ICS activist.
There was no more arrest in con-
nection with the murder and police
were trying to arrest the masterminds
of the Rustom murder, he also said. l
Youth held for uploadingphoto showing beatingfemale classmatenAshif Islam Shaon
Police have arrested a teenage boy who
allegedly uploaded photos and a video
on Facebook showing him beating his
female classmate.
According to the police, one of the
accuseds friends recorded the video
and took the pictures during the inci-
dent.
The teenager was arrested from in
front of Purbachal City on Sunday night
and was produced before a Dhaka court
on Monday.
Mashroof Hossain, assistant
commissioner in the cantonment zone
of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told
the Dhaka Tribune that a Facebook
page titled Moja losss? posted the
photos of the boy slapping the girl,
aged around 16, in December last year
and administrators of the page sought
help from its followers to find out the
boy.
A few days later, they published thevideo as well.
The video showed that the teen-
age boy, who was wearing school
uniform, slapped the girl on a road.
Someone was recording the video,
he said.
During investigation, we came to
know that the boy and his friends re-
corded the video and took snaps of
the incident. The girl, who came from
a poor family, was previously a good
friend of his and the boys planned to
harrass her as she had been avoiding
the boy. They spread the video on the
Internet, and Moja losss? picked it
up, he said.
The video came to our notice a few
days back and consulting with high of-
ficials, we decided to nab the boy. Withthe help of the Facebook pages admin
panel members, we traced him. We also
spoke with a few locals who personally
knew the boy, he added.
During primary interrogation, the
teen admitted to his involvement and
said he was wrong.
He had slapped the girl on October
2 last year.
The incident came to the concern
of their school teachers and the mat-
ter was settled in an arbitration by the
school committee, he said.
The victims family filed a case un-
der Section 10 of Women and Children
Repression Prevention Act with Khilk-
het police station on Monday in this
connection.
When asked whether the offence of
uploading objectionable photos and
videos should go under the Informa-
tion and Communication Technology
Act, Mashroof said under the act an ac-
cused can be awarded up to seven-year
imprisonment and Tk1 crore fine,
which is huge for a teenager.The plaintiff considered his age,
he said. l
Demonstration continues over Saad killingnOur Correspondent, Mymensingh
Hundreds of agitating students contin-ued staging demonstrations for the 8th
consecutive day yesterday, protesting
the killing of Saad Ibne Momtaz, a stu-
dent of Fisheries Faculty of Bangladesh
Agricultural University.
The students also organised a cul-
tural programme including recitation
of poetry and verses written remem-
bering Saad.
The agitating students held a rally
at the altar of Bijoy71 monument on
the campus in the afternoon in favour
of their demands, including arrest of
Saads killers, and to make their names
public, cancellation of their student-
ship and permanent expulsion of the
accused from the university.
The programmes included protest
procession, mass signature collec-
tion campaign, and formation of hu-
man chain, candle lighting on Bijoy71
premises and drawing paintings on the
campus.
The students have been continuing
different programmes protesting the
death of Saad since April 1.
All academic activities remained
suspended since the incident, the BAU
sources said.
Saad, 21, a final year student of Fish-
eries Faculty of BAU and organising
secretary of BCL Ashraful Haque Hall
unit, was killed in an attack by friends
who are also BCL men on April 1.
Meanwhile, police received post-
mortem report from Mymensingh
Medical College and Hospital regarding
the death of Saad yesterday. Quotingthe report, offi cer-in- charge of Kotwali
Police Station Golam Sarwar said,
Saad died of due to liver collapse and
brain hemorrhage following merciless
beating.
Earlier on Monday, teachers of Fish-
eries Science Faculty of BAU at a press
conference expressed solidarity with
the demands placed by the general
students. The teachers also expressed
no-confidence over the six-memberprobe committee formed to investigate
the killing of Saad.
A six-member probe body formed
headed by Prof Dr Mohsin Ali of Fisher-
ies Faculty of BAU to investigate into the
killing of Saad will submit its report at the
meeting tonight, campus sources said.
Earlier, BAU authority served show
cause notices on Sujoy and Rukon asking
them to reply by April 7 but they replied
the notices, informed the proctor.l
Chittagong DB detainsdrug peddlers, seizes illegalrickshaw chargersnTarek Mahmud, Chittagong
The Detective Branch of Chittagong
Metropolitan Police yesterday evening
nabbed five drug peddlers and five oth-
ers with 165 battery-run rickshaw char-
gers from several shanties at Motijhar-
na area of port city.
Acting on a tip-off, a DB team con-
ducted a drive at the area and nabbed
five noted drug peddlers who were
smuggling drugs into the port city for
a long time, CMP Detective Branch Ad-
ditional Deputy Commissioner Babul
Akhter told the Dhaka Tribune.
Meanwhile, detectives also arrested
five persons involved in charging bat-
tery-run rickshaws illegally, he added.
They also found 165 chargers from theirpossession.
The arrestees and the recovered
items were handed over to Khulshi
police station and two separate cases
were lodged with the police station. l
One held withstolen fabric inChittagong
nTarek Mahmud, Chittagong
Detective Branch (DB) in Chittagong
Metropolitan Police (CMP) early yester-
day arrested an employee of a covered
van company with 752 pieces of fabric
of shirts stolen from Chittagong citys
Boropol area.
Babul Akhter, additional deputy
commissioner of DB in CMP, said a DB
team had nabbed the employee, Mo-
hammad Rahim, from the area with the
stolen fabric around 5:00am after halt-
ing the covered van while it was com-
ing from the capital city to the port city
with the facrics.
He also said the covered van com-
pany, Taher Company, brought 312 car-
tons of fabric of shirt from a readymade
garments factory of Beximco Group for
exporting those to the USA.
Rahim stole the pieces of fabric fromthe cartons and it would hurt the coun-
trys goodwill, the additional deputy
commissioner said.
The intelligence agency suspected
that the covered van company might
be behind the stealing of fabric worth
Tk20 lakh while they are investigating
the matter, added the additional com-
missioner.
The arrestee and recovered fabrics
were handed over to Halishahar police
station and a case was lodged with the
police station in this connection. l
Washing factoryfined in Gazipur forpollution
nOur correspondent, Gazipur
The Department of Environment (DoE)
yesterday fined Tk 12 lakh to a washing
plant in Gazipur for polluting the envi-
ronment.
DoE Assistant Director Mohammad
Hafijur Rahman said the owner of Five
Ocean Washing Limited was fined after
a magistrate court found out that he
had shut do wn the fa ctorys effl uent
treatment plant (ETP) and had been
dumping hazardous chemicals on anearby canal. l
Rafiur Rabbi, father of Twoki, addresses a press conference at the National Press Club in the city yesterday RAJIB DHAR
-
7/22/2019 Print Edition: 9 April 2014
6/21
Potatoes smuggled with help from border guardsHundreds of Lalmonirhat borderfamilies dependent on smuggling
nOur Correspondent, Lalmonirhat
The smuggling of potatoes to India
through Mogholhat border in Lal-monirhat Sadar upazila is going strong
because of negligence of Border Guard
Bangladesh.
According to sources, at least 1,000
sacks of potatoes (one sack contains
80 kg) are smuggled to India everyday
where 200 local people are engaged in
the business.
Border people alleged that the BGB
men and other law enforcing agencies
were involved in the smuggling.
In anonymity, boatman at Kashem
Ali Boat Ghat at Nagortari char village
said: Potatoes are smuggled to India
from Bangladesh dawn to dusk every
day.
At least 200 people living at
different bordering villages are
involved carrying the smuggled goods
to India by bicycle and they use boat for
crossing the Dharla River, he said.
Nurnabi Islam, a smuggler at Na-
gortari char village said he had got
Tk40 for transporting one sack of po-tato from Mogholhat Bazar to Gidaldah
Bazar in India.
I transport two sacks in a trip and
I can do four trips from dawn to dusk
every day, he said.
At least 300 families in the area de-
pend on smuggling to make a living,
said transporter Karim Miah of Sole-
man Tanti char village.We transport potatoes from Bang-
ladesh to India with the vigilance of
Indian Border Security Force.
They never obstruct us and they
assist to load potatoes in the Indian
truck, said a transporter in the condi-
tion of name not to be published.
Border Guard Bangladesh at Mog-holhat company camp get Tk10 against
each sack of potatoes, he added.
Many people including Abdul Hanif,
Hafizar Rahman, Taherul Islam in
the border village alleged the price of
potato had increased sharply in the
local markets as the potatoes were
smuggled.
Bangladesh could earn revenue if
these potatoes were exported to India
in legal way.
But unabated smuggling is depriv-
ing revenue to the government, they
said.
A group of smugglers and BGB
men were earning windfall profit insmuggling potatoes to India, they
added.
Bordering sources said, a kg of po-
tatoes was being sold at Tk 16 in India
while smugglers purchase a sack for Tk
9 in Bangladesh.After bearing all expenditures, the
smugglers make a profit a Tk 3 against
each kg of potato.
The local farmers get fair prices but
the consumers have to face a price hike.
Smuggler Mazibar Rahman said lo-cal farmers get fair prices and hundreds
of families earned their livelihood by
smuggling as they do not have other
option to main their livelihood.
Commander of Mogholhat BGB
camp Nayek Subedar Shamsul Alamsaid: BGBs vigilance was lax on pota-
to-smuggling to India for the interest of
the farmers.
The BGB did not enjoy benefit in this
regard, he said. l
6 NationDHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Sindurmoti fairheld in Lalmonirhat
nOur Correspondent, Lalmonirhat
The entire Sindurmoti village under
Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila wore afestive look yesterday as a daylong
Sindurmoti fair was held with the
participation of both Bangladeshi and
Indian devotees.
During the fair, devotees prayedat a temple and took bath in Sindur-
motipond as they believe that water
of Sindurmoti pond would bring peace
and purity to their life.
Tight security has been taken sur-
rounding the fair venue to ensure safe-
ty for the pilgrims, said Aslam Khan,
additional SP inLalmonirhat.
The convener of the Sindurmoti
Fair Celebration Committee Atul Chan-
draRoy said the historical Sindurmoti
fair had begun about 300 years back.
People from both Hindu and
Muslim communitiesof the villagehelp
the district administration to celebrate
the fair in peacefuland festive manner
every year, he said, adding that the
historical Sindurmoti pond is going
to turn into a tourism spot in Rangpur
region.
Debendra Nath Roy, 59, who camefrom district town to have bath in the
pond, said: I have been attending the
Sindurmoti fair for the last 32 yearstoget peace and purity in my life.
In my childhood I came to the fair
with my parents. We really get men-
tal satisfaction after taking bath in the
pond, said another devotee Asutosh
Saha, 55.
The Deputy Commissioner of the
district Habibur Rahman said Sindur-
moti was heritage and religious site of
Hindu community.
As a large number of Hindu devo-
tees came from different places to join
the fair, the district administration
took tight security in and around the
fair venue. l
Rural Magura finally gets OMS ricenOur Correspondent, Magura
People living in the rural areas of Magu-
ra are finally going to enjoy the benefits
of open market sale (OMS) of rice.
This is the extention of the OMS pro-gramme for rice launched on February
2 by Magura distri ct food offi ce, which
had been selling rice in the districts
municipal area only.
Following the constant demand for
the facility by the rural population, the
government body decided to stretchout the programme to the upazilas,
starting yesterday.
Sources at the distri ct food offi ce said
they had started selling rice under OMS
in three upazilas: Shalikha, Moham-
madpur and Sreepur. Under the OMS
programme, everyone would be able to
purchase 5kg rice every day at Tk24 a kg.
Abdul Kuddus, a day labourer from
Durgapur village under Sreepur upazila,
said: I buy 5kg rice every day. Before, I
had to spend Tk190 for that rice, but now
I can get it at Tk120 because of OMS. We
are very happy because of OMS rice.
Golam Rabbani, a rickshaw vanpuller from Ghama village under Mo-
hammadpur upazila, said: We were de-
prived of the OMS rice as it was available
only in the municipalities earlier. It was
not possible for me to go all the way to
Magura, which is 35km away from my
home, to get OMS rice spending Tk80 as
conveyance. Now, I can easily purchase
the rice from the upazila headquarter,
which is only 3km from my house.
When contacted, Abdul Kadir,
Magura district food controller (act-
ing), said: We have started selling
rice under OMS in the upazila level.
We are getting good response in thisregard as rural people are showing
high interest here. l
Upazila chairman sent to jailnOur Correspondent, Barisal
A Pirojpur court rejecting bail prayer yes-
terday ordered to send the newly elected
BNP-backed chairman of Nazirpur upa-
zila jail for violence during hartal.
Local sources said the BNP-backed
candidate Nazrul Islam Khan contested in
Nazirpur upazila on February 27 for chair-
man post when he was detained in jail.
Nazrul was elected chairman from
jail by defeating AL-backed candidate
Abdul
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